You might even catch a glimpse of one during the festival.

When sound waves leave your instrument or voice, the first thing they hit (hopefully!) in your recording path is the microphone's capsule. The material that capsule is made of is therefore one of the first - and most important - factors determining the final sound of your recording.

The capsules of most typical large-diaphragm condensers are made of a very thin layer of gold-sputtered mylar - in this case, the X1. But with our X1 D, the capsule is sputtered with titanium instead, which makes it stiffer and provides a very "immediate" transient response.

With a ribbon mic - like our X1 R- the metal ribbon is suspended between two poles of a magnet, and has a natural figure-8 response for an entirely different type of sound. Lows and mids sound very natural, warm, and intimate, and high frequencies are gently and smoothly rolled-off.

Our X1 Series includes mics with all three of these capsule types. Each can be used to obtain a special and unique result, depending on the kind of sound you want to achieve.

So what do they all sound like? Hear the difference below!

All three mics were positioned approximately 14" from the base of the guitar's neck. They were recorded through a pair of Rupert Neve Designs Shelford 5052s with no EQ, compression, or other processing applied.

ACOUSTIC GUITAR - STRUMMING

ACOUSTIC GUITAR - PICKING (LOW)

ACOUSTIC GUITAR - PICKING (HIGH)

Of course, there are many other factors in a microphone's design that contribute to your final sound - a tube mic like the X1 T may emphasize different harmonics for a thicker, "warmer" sound, and changing a polar pattern from cardioid to omni can make a huge difference...but the capsule type is a great place to start.

Multiple Emmy Award-winning composer/guitarist Brian Tarquin embarked on a charity album quest last year, bringing in some seriously legendary guitar talent to help him out on the project. Since Brian has been a long-time sE fan, he contacted us to talk about this new record - how he recorded it, who plays on it, and what it means to him.